Something that I would like and would think there are quite a few others, if they could be contacted, that would also like: a perpetual calendar with a morning and evening meditation as these "snippets" are. The names of the days of the week would not be included, just each date, including leap day. I have a book like that, though only one page for each date, on "LOVE" and it is priceless. It has a different pastel color for each month and a faint season related illustration as a background to a rather dark ink color-related for the month in which the text is rendered. There are numerous possibilities for the physical makeup of such a calendar. The good ones are treasures for a lifetime. If you want to talk more about it leave me a personal message.

James (aka: reFORMer)

P.S. I thought you'd like the following which I wrote about the Apostle's Creed . . ._________________________________________

Considerations of the Apostle's Creed

The Creeds have not been regarded as scripture by the people of God. They were created primarily as help for those who could not read and as a basic summary of what is believed by those who follow Jesus. The earliest form is called "The Apostle's Creed," and it is probably the most universally satisfying of the Creeds to this day.

The point of interest here is that most copies today have relegated the phrase, "descended into hell" to a footnote, if mentioned at all; and, without that phrase, it is now called "The Ecumenical Creed." What's this? We're universal (i.e., ecumenical) if we're not universalists?! It makes me wonder at the largeness and basic nature of this division in Christians' beliefs.

The fact that Jesus descended into hell and was victorious over it (a doctrine called "The Harrowing of Hell") was very popular with the earliest Gentile Christians, particularly as they considered the future state of their ancestors. This Biblical truth is also the death knell to a hell of eternal torture, a horrible evil not included to qualify as a basic belief of true Christians. Instead, the resurrecting Jesus ascends, "From which He is coming to judge the living and the dead."

The original word "flesh" has been exchanged for "body," (without notice) as in, "the resurrection of the 'body.'" I think the earliest word "flesh" is still to be preferred. "I believe in the resurrection of the flesh."

I dislike reverting to the word "catholic" to say: "I believe in the holy 'catholic' church," instead of translating it to say: "I believe in the holy universal church." Other than not tipping the hat to Romanism (where admittedly many Christians are,) is it too nearly recognition of "universalism" again?

« Last Edit: November 05, 2012, 08:14:57 AM by reFORMer »

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I went to church; but, the Church wasn't on the program! JESUS WANTS HIS BODY BACK!! MEET WITHOUT HUMAN HEADSHIP!!!

"That salvation is of man and HIS works is shared by many of us who are Christians. We've portrayed God as having done all He could do to save mankind more than 2000 years ago. So now, supposedly, it's up to mankind to perform the remaining essential of exercising the good work of faith, or else suffer everlasting consequences.

We have looked upon salvation as a joint effort between man and God, and as primarily what WE do for Him. With this teaching MAN is exalted, self righteousness flourishes, and God is stripped of His sovereignty! But our salvation 'is not of him that willeth' (any decision we make of ourselves), 'nor of him that runneth' (any effort we put forth of ourselves), BUT OF GOD Who showeth mercy! (Romans 9:16)

Christ was prophesied to take away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29), so how then can a sinless world suffer everlasting punishment in the lake of fire?! How absurd! Christ is the Saviour of the world (Jn. 4:42; 1Jn. 4:14), and He will save it!"90

"When I first began to believe in the reconciliation of the world, I fell on my knees and put my head on the floor and cried tears of joy. The revelation came to me in a flash, like lightning and immediately I received it as truth.

God was in Christ reconciling the WORLD unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. 2Cor.5:19.

All will be judged then reconciled back to God so that He will be All in all.God is a consuming fire and will burn out all the dross from everyone." 91

"As an escape from the doctrine of eternal torment, I at first embraced the doctrine of annihilation for the wicked, and for a little while tried to comfort myself with the belief that this life ended all for them. But the more I thought of it, the more it seemed to me that it would be a confession of serious failure on the part of the Creator, if He could find no way out of the problem of His creation, but to annihilate the creatures whom He had created.

One day a revelation came to me that vindicated God, and settled the whole problem forever. I saw that it was true, as the Bible says, that 'as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' As was the first, even so was the second. The 'all' in one case could not in fairness mean less than the all in the other. I saw therefore that the remedy must necessarily be equal to the disease. The salvation must be as universal as the fall.

I saw this that day on the tram-car on Market Street, Philadelphia -- not only thought it, or hoped it -- but knew it. It was a Divine fact. And from that moment I have never had a questioning thought as to the final destiny of the human race. The how and the when I could not see; but the one essential fact was all I needed -- somewhere and somehow God was going to make everything right for all the creatures He had created. My heart was at rest about it forever." 92

As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' As was the first, even so was the second.

I heard a Baptist preacher say not long ago that "sure everyone will be made alive but most of them will be burning in hell forever". He says the wicked will live forever too but not to enjoy eternal life.

When I was young I thought ET was right because the preachers I knew said so. When I got old enough to study the Bible and reason things out I came to think that ED was right. After the Lord brought me through the fire and opened my eyes I learned that the whole world would be saved. Hallelujah, praise the Lord .

You would think that everybody would at least want to study to see if this was true but most don't even want you to mention it, they probably think they will go to hell if they even think about it.

When I was young I thought ET was right because the preachers I knew said so. When I got old enough to study the Bible and reason things out I came to think that ED was right. After the Lord brought me through the fire and opened my eyes I learned that the whole world would be saved. Hallelujah, praise the Lord .

You would think that everybody would at least want to study to see if this was true but most don't even want you to mention it, they probably think they will go to hell if they even think about it.

CHB

They have been threatened with torture that lasts forever by people who they respected and were told had the very keys of the kingdom. They were reduced to seeing eternal destruction as a hope rather than as a defeat for God's grace over multitudes of beings in the universe.

Thank God for His grace. SHOUT IT FROM THE HOUSETOPS. If they call you the devil or a wolf in sheep's clothing or a false teacher or prophet- WEAR IT LIKE A BADGE Of HONOR AND GIVE GLORY TO GOD

Amen!!! I wish that everyone who understands about the salvation of all would shout it from the housetops but alas we don't.

Sometimes I feel like we are as bad as the et'rs, they believe most everybody is going to hell and burn forever and they are not shouting it from the housetops. We know nobody is going to hell forever and we don't shout it from the housetops either.

Amen!!! I wish that everyone who understands about the salvation of all would shout it from the housetops but alas we don't.

Sometimes I feel like we are as bad as the et'rs, they believe most everybody is going to hell and burn forever and they are not shouting it from the housetops. We know nobody is going to hell forever and we don't shout it from the housetops either.

CHB

I shout it from more than eighty housetops (websites) almost every day.

WHENCE ETERNITY? – ALEXANDER THOMSON

"The inspired scriptures never speak of eternity. They describe nothing as eternal. They contain no term which itself bears our time sense of everlasting. As eternity is not a subject of revelation, our present object is to discover how and when this unscriptural term gained entrance into theology, with most disastrous results.

It may be stated, without fear of contradiction, that the more one explores into the early centuries of Christendom, the clearer does it become that a corrupt theology was alone responsible for displacing the teaching regarding the eons by a dogma respecting 'eternity.'"http://hellbusters.8m.com/upd3.html93

Doesn't the scripture say that God alone is eternal?I think that he is and if he alone is eternal than nothing else that scripture labels eternal can actually BE eternal

So many definition come into play here. For instance....

If eternal means always was and always will be then only God is eternal

If eternal means to live forever then a created being who is given or possesses unending life could be considered eternal.

Some people define eternal as forever, but without end doesnt necessarily mean eternal. Without beginning or end definitely does mean eternal- and that is God alone.

But the truth is, the words eternal and forever are a few steps of translation and interpretation out of "olam".

If we are using the first definition then I would say yes, only God is eternal, since He is the source of all things but He Himself has no source and therefore only He can be eternal, having always been, and enduring forever in the now, I AM THAT I AM.

The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. (Psa 21:1-4)

If olam olam means "age" or "world" and "ad" means either "eternity" or "terminus"(world without end, (age unending)

Thy throne, O God, is for ever(H5769olam olam) and ever:(H5703 ad)the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.(Psa 45:6)

It seems that "ad" means "unending ending" or "the end that never ends" or "the end that goes on forever" HAHA

Olam definitely means "indefinite period of time" or "other world" as in "unknowable", "mist", so

The scriptures are no help HAHAHA (just kidding)

Actually I think the scriptures are great help and prove out through usage that "context is everything" even in the Hebrew and Greek.

Some boldly proclaim that "ad" means eternal but the scriptures destroy us again in context in Job

Job 20:4 Knowest thou not this of old,(H5703 ad) since man was placed upon earth,......

Since it says clearly "ad", SINCE MAN WAS PLACED ON EARTH.....DOH! , our first definition of eternal(without beginning or end) only works when "ad" is conjoined with GOD.... proving my theory that words like "olam" and "ad" are defined by the subjects they are joined with, not by absolute independent definition.

Therefore, like the relentless pencil head I am I declare again that "aion" and "aionios" and "aidos" are only transliterations into Greek from "olam" and "ad"

YHWH means I AM THAT I AM or "SELF EXISTENT ONE". When olam olam ad are joined to YHWH....

יהוה מלך עולם ועד אבדו גוים מארצו׃ Psa 10:16 reading left to right, "

YHWH MELEK OLAM OLAM AD ABAD GOY GOY ERETS

Jehovah reigns ages unending undone peoples earth

or to paraphrase

Yahweh reigns forever, world without end- the nations perish and are undone.

In context the psalmist is comparing the eternal omnipotence of the Self Existent One with the nations that are like grass before the wind in comparison, in order to encourage the Israelites to trust and obey Him and not fear emulate their enemies, the heathen.

The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.(olam olam ad) (Psa 45:13-17)

This seems to be a Messianic prophecy, for only the name of Jesus will be made a name worthy of unending praise(Phil 2:10, therefore He has given Him the name above every name that at the name of Jesus........)

Psa 48:14 For this God(H430 Elohiym) is our GodH430 for ever and ever(olam olam ad): he will be our guide even unto(H5921 al- through, beyond) death.

In this verse our friendly KJV translaters translated ad as everlasting once and perpetual once- also translating olam olam into everlasting.

Hab 3:6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting(olam olam) mountains were scattered, the perpetual(H5769 ad)hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.(olam olam)

"There are many texts in which aion and aionios cannot bear the meaning of eternity. And there are no texts in which the meaning of a limited period of time does not make reasonable sense. Our great loss is that when we ascribe the meaning of eternity to these words, we obliterate from view God's purpose of the eons. Further, the character of God is slandered, making Him the inflictor of incomprehensible woe.

It does not say that "all in Christ shall be made alive." It says, "in Christ shall all be made alive." The word for made alive means to be made immortal. After the great white throne, the unbelieving will participate in the second death – the lake of fire. Finally, at the consummation, when death is abolished, all will be made alive in Christ."

God is working all things after the counsel of His will and according to His perfect schedule. But the improper translation of "for the ages of the ages" ignores the purpose and climax of history.

The holies of the holies (plural/plural) were the two inner confines of the tabernacle. They were more holy than the outer court and the camp and all the places outside the camp. In like manner, the ages of the ages (mistranslated forever and ever) are the two greatest ages of history because of what will transpire during their time.It does not cast the smallest shadow on the brilliance of God's glory to say that glory be attributed to Him during the climatic eons when His purpose will be realized by all and His glory seen more clearly than ever before." 94

Do you find your heart tardy to believe that God will have all mankind to be saved?" 1Tim. 2:4

"Those who would not yield an inch from the position that all have sinned means all, do not hesitate to rob God of His all in all shall be justified, all shall be reconciled, all shall be vivified, that God may be All in all.

This is God's grand goal: all saved, all justified, all reconciled, all vivified, that God may be All in all. This goal will see fruition when the eons have run their course. Do not confuse God's goal with His process." 95

"The world hates God because of the picture Christianity has painted of Him. The doctrine of eternal torment is a teaching of demons; a myth. It infects the world via a series of false expressions, printed onto tracts and forced into sermons. Those who espouse and teach it are in full heed of deceiving spirits, though they know it not.

There must be a remedy, and there is. 2Timothy 2:15, 'Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.'

Pray for Martin.He is going through a rough time.Here is part of a lengthy email he sent out this November 8th.

"I could sit here for hours trying to think of an easy or soft way to tell you what I have to tell you, but maybe there is no better way than to just say it: My wife has divorced me. I am sorry to have to start this communication to you as bluntly as that, but it is that blunt, that tragic, that cold, and that heartbreaking. I am still in shock over it. After only 16 months of marriage, the woman I was married to has quit our life together. There was nothing I could do to stop it. If I could have, I would have."

Note by Rodger:As many of us know, belief in UR doesn't exempt us from experiencing life's tragedies.

I know from experience what Martin is going through. You feel like, "It seemed so obviously God's leading when we were together" and now it makes you doubt your relationship with God because if you were wrong about God's leading there...My resolution was like Martins, it wasn't me that decided the marriage was over and we don't have control of anyone else's spiritual relationship.

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"Why do so many people think that the Bible is only inspired at certain points - and that THEY are inspired to pick out which points?"